Worthy Companions
by TheDimensionOfWords
Summary: Drabble. Toph and Mai find themselves both avoiding a shopping trip. They talk and figure out a more exciting activity to do. CONTINUED: Now turning into a collection of drabbles focusing on this friendship and their adventures.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm bored," announced the woman who flopped in a very unladylike fashion beside Toph as she was sitting under a tree in the gardens of the Fire Nation Palace.

Toph approved of this action and grinned at her new companion. "And why is that, Mai? Princess Sparky not entertaining enough?"

Mai sighed dramatically in answer, but Toph knew she was smirking. "Have pity on the Prince Charmings of the world, wise and mighty warrior," she droned flatly, sounding as though all of life held no interest.

Toph snorted, picking at her own itchy toes. She had quickly learned to appreciate the noblewoman's humor, finding that it complemented her own greatly. "You know where our fellow warriors and "princes" are?"

Mai shifted to lean against the tree behind them before answering, "Princes Katara and Ty Lee are working in a hospital and warrior Suki is off training last I heard. They are meeting up soon to go shopping, though."

Toph groaned, as though in pain at mere thought. "Were you invited too?" A simple "Mmhm" was her only answer, which meant Mai was hiding out here as much as she was. It wasn't that there was any ill will toward the other girls, it was merely that shopping was low on both of their list of interesting activities.

"Do you want to do something else then?" Toph found herself suggesting. This wasn't the first time they had found themselves in the same hiding place, whether at fancy (boring) parties or from the more girly habits of their female (and male) friends.

"Like what?" Mai drawled, hiding the slight excited in her voice. Toph was always good at coming up with exciting things to do.

"How about redecorating Ozia's cell?"

Matching grins of pure menace grew on the two women's faces.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I got more comments (read: any) on this than I expected. As this one of my personal favorite headcanons, I added. One day I might write the cell redecoration scene, but sadly today is not that day...**

Friendships are strange and mysterious things in how they are formed. How some are so different than others and still share the same label. How they change over time, fitting to shape different moulds as the people within them shift through life.

Toph had felt the Spirits had granted her extraordinary luck in the realm of friendships as soon as she left the confines of her parent's overprotective hold. They granted her another family and a support system like no other. Though she found it hard to tell them outright, they truly meant everything to her. One could tell when she was feeling sappy as she tended to hand out more punches on the arm.

It was after the war that Toph made her closest friend, second only to Sokka. No one quite knew how it came about, but one day they walked in on her and Mai laughing still tears ran down their faces. It is still unsure what transpired, but it seemed after later inspection that Ozai's cell might have gone under some... remodeling.

The two girls who found themselves at odds with society's standards for being a normal female found a sort of solstice in each other. They could truly be themselves in the other's company.

...Which sometimes turned social events soar over the years. The most infamous incident happen in their fifties, after a few drinks, in the form of using the hats and hairpieces of the other guests as target practice. The original gaang members never knew whether to laugh or cry in remembrance...


	3. Chapter 3

Toph prepared to enter the arena, slipping on her wrist shields. Sokka had been hovering since she got here, giving her pointers in a field he knew little about and she was a master. But Mai had swooped in a few minutes ago, swept Sokka and his protests away with a glare and clink of concealed knives, leaving Toph some peace in which to finish her preparations to fight.

It was her first one in a while, she had obligingly in a surprisingly mature manner and stuck by the rule of not competing in tournaments while teaching, for fear it would "corrupt" the desire of using her student's powers for the greater good. But enough was enough. Tonight she was entering that arena to do good old earthbending battle, just like the ones in her childhood. There was little doubt that she would come out on top, but still Toph felt the adrenaline rush for a filthy, bruising fight corse along her bones.

She reached out to retrieve her old headband, she was dressing as the original Blind Bandit and it was the only piece of the outfit that still fit. But before her hand had made it halfway, she felt a tug on her hair as it was expertly tugged, looped, and knotted.

"I thought I'd help," Mai droned, some of her affection for her younger friend sneaking into her voice.

"I was wondering why you were getting so close," Toph snarked back, a grin on her face. She tipped her head forward as she felt Mai move around her. On went the hair piece, a few pins slipping in to bind it to bun itself, the job expertly done.

Stepping back, Mai asked, "Are you ready?"

Toph blew a puff of air on her bangs. "Duh."

This caused a single chuckle from the other warrior. This brought to mind a question Toph had been wondering for a while. "Hey, you ever fight in a competition? Nothing at stake but glory and money?"

She felt she shifting that she had learned to translate as a shrug before Mai responded with, "No, unless you count Azula's idea of games."

Toph threw up her hands dramatically in response, her grin back, "We need to get you in the ring! Your creepy uncaring attitude is a perfect tactic to psych out your opponents."

"True..." Mai nodded, moving to watch the current fight from where Toph would make her entrance.

"Not just true, fact! After this, we are going straight out to find you some asses to kick," Toph proclaimed, rolling her shoulders as she felt one of the current contests be thrown from the ring.

"Good luck," was the only response Mai gave, and Toph punched her on the arm as she made her way past.

When Toph returned with her winnings, she found Mai still waiting, but saw the addition of many more knives. Cackling, she grabbed the other woman's elbow to lead her on an adventure, passing her money into Sokka's arms and telling him not to waste it all on questionable shopping choices.


End file.
